Employment and Home Ownership the Most Important Factors in Canadian Immigrant Settlement

Monday, 24 September 2007 11:54

A recent study by RBC and Ipsos Reid shows that 27 per cent of Canadian immigrants who have been in Canada for ten years or less feel truly established in Canada and 54 per cent feel they are in the process of getting settled. 19 per cent of respondents stated that they still feel new to Canada. Having a good job and owning a home were the top indicators for those respondents who feel truly established. Canadian citizenship was the third most popular indicator. For those who do not yet feel established, good employment in Canada was the overwhelmingly most important signifier of feeling settled, followed by home ownership and their children’s education.

RBC launched this study in their efforts to cater to their growing base of customers who have been through the Canadian immigration experience. “We wanted to develop a deeper understanding of that experience and learn more about what makes newcomers feel settled into their new lives,” explains Mark Whitmell, RBC’s director of Cultural Markets. “Having a better appreciation of how important something like home ownership is to people going through this significant life transition, gives us a better perspective on how we can hopefully help make that goal happen faster.”

The study also revealed that 82 per cent of new immigrants are happy to be in Canada and 84 per cent are hopeful about their future.